1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems of advertising.
2. Background Art
Most advertisements may be categorized as impression ads, targeted ads, and branding ads. Impression ads are commonly used on the Internet and other mediums where the use thereof can be monitored. For example, impression ads used on web pages may be monitored as a function placement, frequency of display, and other factors related to the overall impression the ad has on the web page or other medium. Targeted ads are advertisements that are made available to users based on the user's profile, or based on the types of content or advertisements that a particular user has previously accessed. Branding ads are generally distributed very broadly with the intent of promoting a particular brand or trademark, and without necessarily tracking the number of placements, impressions, individual viewers, or particular consumer demographic.
It is common for Internet users to surf for information on the Internet using various implementations of search engines, including video search engines. Often such searches result in the display of static, animated, or streaming media web-based advertisements associated with the users search, or the user's profile (essentially, targeted ads based on the user's search request, downloaded cookies, or recent Internet surfing history). Internet users may then link from one such advertisement to another, with each successive search resulting in new or duplicate web-based advertisements based on the user's most recent search.
Television has historically broadcasted impression or branding ads to a wide, disperse, and undifferentiated audience. Television advertisers purchase television ad space based primarily on the viewer demographic for particular television programs. For example, advertisements for cleaning supplies and laundry detergent are often broadcast during daytime television, automobile commercials are generally broadcast during prime time, and beer commercials are generally broadcast during sporting events. More recently, digital cable and satellite television networks have pursued targeted advertising based on viewers' profiles.
Distribution of television advertisements is far more expensive than the actual cost to produce the advertisements. It may be advantageous for advertisers to reduce the cost of such distribution by limiting distribution of the ads to only potential consumers, rather than very broad audiences. Thus, the more targeted an ad is, the more value it carries. Very broadly distributed ads, other than branding ads tend to have less value to the advertiser, but are the most expensive for the advertiser due to distribution costs.